


The time of grace I know

by widgenstain



Category: X-Men Evolution, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Hanukkah, Mansion Fic, Mother-Son Relationship, Multi, Old Dudes in Love, Pre-Slash, The World Is A Better Place, Timeline What Timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-07
Updated: 2013-12-07
Packaged: 2018-01-03 21:50:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1073456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/widgenstain/pseuds/widgenstain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The X-men and members of the Brotherhood spend Christmas together at the mansion for the first time. It's an important experience for Kurt. In more than one way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kitty_Dog](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitty_Dog/gifts).



> The title is the last line of the English translation of Joseph von Eichendorff's poem "Weihnachten". You can read the whole thing [ here](http://www.ballinagree.freeservers.com/weihnachten.html).

It was two days after Thanksgiving when Prof Xavier announced it. 

Marie felt her suspicions confirmed that he was getting strange, well stranger, in his old age. But she hadn’t expected this.   
Sure He had been in their house before, Charles’ and His chess matches weren’t a secret, but they stayed confined to the library and Charles’ room whenever they took place. Now she was supposed to welcome this man who had almost killed her, into what had become her happiest home.   
At Christmas nonetheless. 

Marie took a drag of her cigarette but the mentholy smoke filling her lungs did little to calm her nerves, as she watched the ashes fall into the darkness beneath her balcony. A sharp plop in the back announced the arrival of her little brother. 

“Gotcha! You said you’d quit!”

“I did. Logan must be still lingering somewhere in here from the last time I’ve touched him.”

Kurt was hanging upside down from the chin-up bar in Marie’s room and watched her sceptically. 

“That was more than five weeks ago. Logan hasn’t been home since. Or has he visited you on campus again?”

There was something else hidden under the hopeful tone, something Marie couldn’t quite discern. 

“No he hasn‘t visited… sorry fuzzball. I’m just… What the Prof said today…

“Isn’t it wonderful? All of us together at last! What a great idea!”

Kurt jumped down from the bar and plopped next to her, perching on the balustrade of the balcony. A few years ago Marie immediately would have reached out to steady him, but his control had grown so much and his tail, wrapped around the sandstone, kept him safely in place. 

“Great? As far as I remember we were fighting these people for a very long time. And now we invite them to have turkey and latkes?”

“It’s been almost a year since they last blew something up. And you said it yourself; the laws seem to be taking. Maybe He has finally accepted it too. Also I can think of worse ideas than bringing mutants together and having a pah-r-tay!” He happily seesawed on his forked feet. 

The laws seemed to be taking indeed. A little more than two years ago the humans had banned their own facilities, media representation stopped being completely one-sided and mutants started to win discrimination lawsuits.   
However, it would take decades to truly let the change seep into the collective consciousness; when she had decided to go to university, a few years older than her fellow students, she was aware that the slurs wouldn’t magically stop, nor the fear and the incomprehension of what she was. But the changed attitude towards the mutant issue - not problem anymore, issue - made it easier for humans who hadn’t dared to speak up for mutants before, to express their opinions.   
So it came, that for the first time since her powers had manifested Marie had human friends. Two, but it was a start. 

She understood the role He had played in all of this. Begrudgingly she had to admit that He had made the humans see their own cruelty. In very questionable ways, ways that almost had cost her her life. But Professor Xavier, Hank McCoy, Ororo, Jean lately and all their allies had used this awareness to their advantage, and turned life to a best it hadn’t reached before.  
She owed those people, she owed Charles and she always had trusted Charles. Maybe she should do it again this time. 

“You know, _mother_ will be coming too. And your dad maybe. If he doesn’t turn to ashes at the sight of religious celebrations.”

Marie regretted the gibe as soon as she had spoken it. Kurt was nothing like his father even if they shared their powers, and this was a touchy subject between them. 

After a long silence Kurt began:

“I don’t know this man, my father. I’ve seen him. I’ve fought him. But I don’t know him. If he chooses to come here and celebrate with us, I can change that. If not, I don’t lose anything either. This is the only way I will look at this situation. As for Mystique: this will be the first time we’ll talk to each other not as enemies. I’m very glad about that.”

Marie took another drag from her cigarette before she stubbed it out on the cold stone underneath her elbows. She observed her brother in his boxers and night shirt. The skin only a few shades lighter than his black-blue hair. Carefully she touched it with her gloved hand and ran her fingers through it. 

“You’re right. It only would be his loss.” Then she added with a crooked smile:

“Who would have thought that the little fuzzball would become such a wise man? You are basically a grown-up now."

Kurt laughed.

“NEVA!”

He let himself fall forward, off the balcony, only to plop back on the chin-up bar, giggling maniacally.


	2. Chapter 2

The mansion was buzzing. Everyone was busy with preparation and with only a little more than two weeks to go, it finally started to look festive.   
An army of snowmen in the garden, colourful lights on the turrets, Hanukkah, Christmas and some improvised Kwanzaa decorations mixed on every wall. 

And the faint smell of something burned coming from the main kitchen on the ground floor, where Kurt currently was scooping the rest of the cookie dough out of a bowl.   
The activity took nearly all his concentration but he still caught some of the conversation between Scott and Kitty who were trying to salvage at least some of the gingerbread men. It went from Jean’s new job at the UN to Scott looking for a flat for them, to how Jean was really great at sports but couldn’t bake to save her life.

“Well, that’s what she got you for.”

“I hope that’s not the only thing. Have you seen my macaroons? I really shouldn’t throw bricks in my glasshouse.”

“At least they were edible. These however…” Kitty picked up a charcoaled, dry-as-dust, anthropomorphic something and laughed. 

“Look at me with the Christmas cookies. If my mum knew… She already doesn’t trust the flaky gentiles I spend all year with. And grandpa! He’d disinherit me immediately.” Scott laughed.

“I can’t quite believe that.”

“No, of course he wouldn’t. As long as I don’t look for chocolate eggs around Passover everything is fine.” They smiled at each other.

“It’s cool though, this year. With Zach and Alice here, you and Jake won’t be alone during Hannukkah-“

“And Him. Zach, Alice, Jake, me and Him.”

Kurt looked up from his bowl of deliciousness. 

“Do you think He’s going to participate?”

“Why else would he want to come? There isn’t anyone else he could celebrate with. The Prof is His only friend. Which is telling enough, don’t you think?”

“The Brotherhood-“

“The members of the Brotherhood are, or were, his subordinates and I haven’t “met” any Jews among them. He doesn’t have anyone to be with.”

Kitty looked abashed as if she only had realised this while saying it out aloud. Scott put down the knife he had used to cut off the burned extremities of the gingerbread men, turning them into less burned gingerbread patties. 

“All the more reason to invite him then.”

“Yeah…”

“Don’t worry.” Scott put his arm around Kitty. “The Prof won’t let Him in with that monstrosity on his head and if He still tries to ruin your week, I’ll blast him out of the window. And Kurt will drop him somewhere in the Atacama. Won’t you, Kurt?”

“Youf bfeff I willf!”


	3. Chapter 3

When Erik Lehnsherr arrived two days later no one really noticed him. Kurt saw the unobtrusive, black Lexus CT coming up the driveway and the white-haired man who stepped out of it, but he didn’t connect the dots until the Prof swooshed past him to catch the man at the entrance. 

So Magneto was finally here. 

And nothing bad happened. 

He didn’t interact much with the students. Like always he kept to the Prof’s quarters and only occasionally veered to the kitchen to get tea.   
That was where Marie first saw him. 

The glass she was holding suddenly started to glimmer and show crimson cracks. 

Kurt quelled the need to taunt her over the broken cling film and the importance of safe sex. Instead he just hugged his sister and the crackling sound abated. 

“It’s alright…”

Magneto looked at them. Out of his armour and his cape and his helmet he was an old man. Still intimidating in his own way, incredible power behind hard eyes that didn’t know remorse or apologies. But a bit worn out, tired and very comfortable in the Prof’s navy blue slippers.   
Magneto went to the cupboard, took out a box of biscuits and prepared to leave. On his way out he turned and looked at them again. 

Marie holding his gaze fiercely and Kurt clasping onto her protectively, ready to go in between if any violence should occur. Magneto lowered his eyes first, a soft, barely recognisable smile curling his thin lips. Then he left.

Marie exhaled deeply.

“It’s alright… It’s alright. You did great.” His sister nodded and filled the glass that had survived the confrontation unscathed with tap-water. She drank it whole and two more until some colour returned to her pale face. 

“Thank you, Kurt.”

“Always. Now shall we get some for Remy too? Judging by the strength of his powers in you, I’m pretty sure he could use a lot.”

Marie smiled weakly and shrugged.

“He always says he can take the pain. Don’t judge me for holding him to his word.”


	4. Chapter 4

Slowly but surely the mansion filled with people. Some students were going to stay with their families over the holidays but most remained in Westchester. 

And the guests of honour arrived too. The first was Lance Alvers, Avalanche, much to Kitty’s joy. 

Scott just groaned and Kurt wasn’t sure if Jean hadn’t used her powers on Scott, to convince him not to stand vigil in front of Kitty’s room every night. Not that it would have made much sense anyway, with walls being no obstacle to her. 

On the third day of Hanukkah, which ideally fell into the week before Christmas this year, a tall, young, blond woman came to the threshold of the mansion. Kurt could easily overlook and oversee her conversation with the Prof from his vantage point, a pedestal that once had carried a long fallen gargoyle. 

“Raven. It is a pleasure to see you here.”

“Hello, Charles.”

“You look…”

“Beautiful? Stunning? Irresistible?”

“Like you did back in the 60s. And yes, all of that. You would never not.”

The slight tension in the woman’s voice gave way to a light laugh.

“I see you’ve learned. I wanted to see this place with the same eyes I had when I left.”

“And? Any difference?”

“Well, the owner has lost the hair he used to be so proud of, but I already knew that.” 

Charles chuckled and the woman rippled blue. Kurt watched on as the woman who had given birth to him leaned forward and kissed the Prof on his cheeks.

“It feels good to be back. Weird but good.”

They smiled at each other and the Prof made way for her to enter the house.

Kurt sat back on his buttocks and stared out into the gardens a little lost. 

He would spend this year’s Christmas with his “mother”. That was something new. He had mentally prepared himself for it. Now it was here though, he wasn’t sure if he wanted it. And if his father came too…


	5. Chapter 5

Azazel never showed. Kurt tried to ignore the wash of relief he felt at that.

However, someone else came. Kurt was just giving the last touches to the top of the Christmas tree when a gruff voice called out:

“Careful elf, I’m not catching you if you fall.”

“LOGAN! YOU’RE HERE!”

Kurt plopped down on the man’s shoulders, like a large, blue kitten on a hairy witch’s back. 

“Of course I did. Do you really think I’d miss Christmas dinner? Whatever it’s going to be, the whole house smells amazing. Chuck did hire a nice cook this year.” 

Kurt fumbled for words.

“Uhm. He didn’t hire anybody. What you smell is the veal cutlets we had tonight. Uhm, Magneto made them. But he’s here on the Prof’s wishes. A lot of the Brotherhood are. And they’re behaving themselves, I swear. We didn’t have any troubles. Storm had to cool down the Blob a little, once, but that’s it.” 

Logan stared at him irritated for a few seconds and Kurt felt shivers run down his spine. God, he could look terrifying. But then Logan’s eyes lit up with amusement and the rough man broke out into a deep belly-laugh.

“I know that they’re here. The Prof told me weeks ago via Cerebro. He didn’t trust me to keep my cool if I came here and found them parading around in our house. No idea how he came to that conclusion,” Logan grinned and lifted Kurt off his shoulders.

“So, good old Mags is doing the cooking, huh?” 

“Yeah, I know it’s bizarre. He took over about a week ago when Kitty managed to set a pan with doughnuts on fire. He’s really digging it apparently, and we have probably never eaten better. Or more.” Logan cackled and muttered something that sounded very much like _mother hen_ but couldn’t be, because he was talking about Magneto. 

“Ahhh,” Logan clasped Kurt’s shoulder, “What would I do without you, you silly bunch.” 

Kurt could not explain the sudden rush of blood to his head and the purpling of his cheeks. 

“I really hope you haven’t scarfed all the cutlets though. That was one long trip I had.”


	6. Chapter 6

Christmas came and went, relaxed and smooth.  
Some of the students who had celebrated it at their families’ houses before, even said that it had been far more peaceful than the festivities disturbed by drunken uncles and divorced parents. 

And even if Kurt felt too old for presents during the rest of the year, he couldn’t hide his glee when he unpacked his in the morning.  
Jean had been his Secret Santa and she got him a book of course. One on pranks though, which was always great. Marie had bought him the pirate hat he’d shown her in the costume shop around Halloween, and The Prof provided the fitting boots, custom-made for his feet.  
Logan gave him a used motorcycle helmet. Not comprehending, he asked him what it was for and Logan just grinned:

“You’re graduating this year. Do you want your last spring break to be like any other, or do you want to do something exciting?” 

Kurt blushed again and profoundly hoped that Jean and the Prof were far away, so they wouldn’t catch on to his unsettling train of thoughts. No Kurt, no. He did not mean it like that. 

He distracted himself with the games played in the house, the music and the spiked eggnog that wasn’t really spiked, but had the rum aroma in it the Prof had convinced Zach was real alcohol.  
During the day they held epic snowball fights that almost turned into real battles whenever Lance came too close to Kitty and Scott suddenly had to adjust his visor. It always stopped though, before it got too serious. The real feuds weren’t buried long enough to risk this exhilarating freedom over drawn crosses in the snow. 

On one of his missions to spy on the other team, Kurt teleported astray and found himself in a snowy meadow on the other side of the mansion. Two figures were walking on it. Well one, the lean man with the white hair in his elegant, black, woollen coat was walking.  
He hovered the other man, who was packed tightly into a huge padded jacket and a dozen layers of knitwear, over the snow in his wheelchair.

Kurt’s task suddenly wasn’t important anymore. Instead he watched the two men as they took a turn through the wintery landscape. They weren’t talking, at least not verbally. At one point they stopped and Magneto, Erik like _Charles_ called him, adjusted the out-of-place bobble cap on the Prof’s head.  
Kurt could hear Charles’ amused chuckle and see what he had never thought possible: Erik’s bright and happy grin. It was toothy and a bit unusual, but honest, warm and full of fondness. A gift reserved for someone special. 

The snow crunched behind Kurt. On purpose. He was approached from the back by an expert in stealth.

“They are in love, aren’t they?”

“Yes. They have been since they met.” 

Mystique, Raven, his mother, appeared next to him. Blue as him. 

They hadn’t had much time to talk. With the decorations and the gifts and Logan and all, Kurt had always found an excuse. Any distraction that allowed him not to confront her. He hadn’t been able to hold onto his good intentions. Wise, Marie had called them. She had spent time with their mother. They’d talked a lot, actually. Remy never leaving his girlfriend’s side. 

“That’s long.” The cold wind must have gotten to Kurt since his eyes welled up.

“A lifetime...” 

He barely felt the faint touch on his arm.

“Kurt?” Mystique looked at him. He wasn’t the only one who didn’t know what to do. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to hear. His mother’s golden eyes searched his, worried and unsure.

“Merry Christmas.” 

Kurt gawked, the tears in his eyes spilt and a chortle wrung itself from his chest.

“Merry Christmas to you too.” Laughing and crying at the same time was so ridiculous, but it helped. Very much. Mystique put her arm around his waist, not very tightly, it wasn’t a hug by a long shot and more than a little awkward.  
But it assured him of her being near until his tears dried. They kept watching the fearsome leaders of mutant resistance on their winter stroll in the early afternoon glow. 

Until the two figures stopped again and Charles pulled Erik down into a long, surprisingly vigorous and, dare he say it, _filthy_ kiss. Kurt’s bleary eyes went wide and Mystique snorted in a way that was not fit for a woman her age. 

“Ah. And I was wondering. Still at it like rabbits, I see.” 

Kurt groaned, face-palmed and barked out the most freeing laugh of his life, all simultaneously. Then he looked at Mystique with a wobbly smile on his face. She smiled back and through the snow and silent gardens they returned to the mansion side by side.


End file.
